1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to flow control valves for low pressure, small scale applications, and particularly to a type of valve responsive to displacement from an upright orientation to occlude or interrupt a flow.
2. Description of Prior Art
A Pendulous Control Valve System of the type under consideration for relatively low pressure, small-scale applications, uses a caged rotatable ball valve having internal gravity responsive masses and a vertically orientated axial conduit for flow control. The control valve may be employed within a variety of flow applications that require a tilt-responsive on-off switching mechanism for allowing or preventing the flow of a low pressure gas or liquid, for example, for use in a diving or floating snorkel application as opposed to, say, an air pump application, or for use in a small water container application as opposed to a plumbing application. In alternate embodiments, a Pendulous Control Valve System can be utilized to allow or interrupt the flow of an electromagnetic beam, for example, for use in a simple motion detector or plumb line application as opposed to, say, a missile guidance application. In another alternate embodiment, a Pendulous Control Valve System can be utilized to allow or interrupt the flow of an electrical current, for example, for use in a floor lamp tip-over application, as opposed to, say, an electrical distribution application.
Gravity responsive, rotatable ball valves with a vertically orientated axial channel are well known in the prior art, for example U.S. Pat. No. 2,082,723 to Seward, “Liquid Level Indicator and Level Therefor” discloses a gas and liquid flow control ball valve which uses a universal mount for a ball valve having a vertical inlet and an inverted-V dual outlet method. Or for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,116 to Hansen, “Valve Device for the Prevention of the Overfilling of Portable Containers, Particularly Gas Cylinders” discloses a gas or liquid flow valve which utilizes a ball valve with a vertical conduit which is freely rotatable relative to the spherical interior of a support member. Or, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,904,943 B2 to Dennis, “Articulated Fuel Container Vent System and Method,” discloses a fuel vapor flow valve within a fuel container that utilizes a ball valve with a pendulous vent tube as a vapor venting means.
None of the cited references address the issues of providing a universally applicable tilt-valve system for gas and liquid that is easily modified for use with the flow of electromagnetic beams or electric current. There is also no suggestion or speculation in any of the three cited patent specifications that their respective valve systems could or should be utilized in the overall manner of any embodiment of the Pendulous Control Valve System under consideration.